-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Colombia 's president says devastating flooding forced him to cancel his scheduled trip to the United Nations climate change conference in Mexico this week -- even though global warming itself could be causing the disaster his country faces .

`` I canceled the trip I was taking to Cancun ... to attend the international conference on climate change , which is what is affecting us , but I canceled this meeting , '' President Juan Manuel Santos said in a statement Sunday .

At least 194 people were killed and 248 injured after torrential rains in Colombia that have affected nearly 1.6 million people , according to the country 's interior ministry . The downpours have caused landslides and overflowing rivers , destroying at least 2,040 houses and damaging nearly 270,000 more nationwide , the ministry said .

Rescue crews continued to work Monday after a landslide in the suburbs of Medellin , Colombia , buried between 30 and 50 homes , Red Cross National Deputy Director Jorge Ivan Nova told CNN . Up to 150 people were affected , he said . As of Monday night , they had found 23 bodies , Nova said , and more than 120 others could still be trapped underground . Seven others were injured .

Better weather on Monday helped rescuers , but there was so much water on the ground that further mudslides were a risk , he said .

Bersabe Alzate cradled her head in her hands and held back tears as she described the search for her family members .

`` Two little girls , my sister-in-law and my niece -- they are trapped and they have n't been found , '' Alzate told Caracol . `` They have n't been able to get them out . ''

The landslide occurred Sunday afternoon , while volunteers elsewhere in the province of Antioquia held a telethon to raise money for winter weather victims .

`` From this tragedy that has no precedent in the history of our country , we are going to forge ahead , '' Santos said Sunday after flying over some of the most severely affected areas , according to a statement on the government 's website .

Colombia is considering declaring a state of emergency to devote more resources to response and rescue efforts , Santos said , noting the number of victims throughout the country could climb to 2 million .

CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet and Esprit Smith contributed to this report .

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NEW : The Red Cross says 23 people are dead after a landslide , and more than 120 are missing

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At least 194 people have died in Colombia 's floods , authorities report

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Climate change `` is what is affecting us , '' Colombia 's president says

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The interior ministry says as many as 200,000 homes have been damaged